Nobody's Hero
by ABeautifulDisaster92
Summary: Bellamy Blake has always been a fighter. Clarke Griffin's father was an award winning boxer. His dream was to open his own gym and now its happening but some aren't too happy about it. When they need a face for the new gym Bellamy steps in, after some convincing from his sister. Things are going great but nothing stays hidden forever no matter how hard they try.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: New Life

Fighting has always been apart of Bellamy Blake's life. When he was younger he was smaller than the rest of the boys in his class, he was easy prey for bullies. Instead of sitting back and taking it he fought back. He became well acquainted with the principal while his mother expected to be called to the school at least three times a week. She used to joke with him by saying they were going to permanently have a chair with his name on it.

In middle school she signed him up for wrestling as a way to keep him busy and hopefully tame his anger. Then his younger sister Octavia was born, money became an issue so he had to quit but he promised her he would always protect her and do whatever it took to do just that. As he grew up he worked out every day but he couldn't settle for just lifting weights in a gym. It became boring for him. He needed excitement, he just wasn't sure how it was going to happen.

His senior year he met a man named Joe and convinced him to start boxing. Like a moth to a flame Bellamy took to it, he had a God given talent is what Joe and all the guys in the gym told him. Just two months after he started training he entered his first fight and after he won it became his drug.

"Bellamy! Wake up! I need a ride to school!" Groaning into his pillow Bellamy tried his best to ignore his younger sister but her constant banging on his door wouldn't stop.

"Ok, fine, O, just calm the fuck down." He yawned swinging his legs over the side of his bed. Picking up a discarded T-shirt off the floor he slid it on before opening his bedroom door. "Where's mom?"

"She had an early shift at the diner, I thought you knew that?" Octavia scowled.

"No, I didn't. Come on." He mumbled grabbing his keys off of his dresser he led her outside to his beat up truck.

Pulling out of the driveway Bellamy groaned as Octavia turned the radio on full blast. The pounding in his head became ten times worse with the horrible music Octavia insisted on playing. Shutting it off he kept his attention on the road but Octavia couldn't take the silence. "Just how hungover are you? I know you didn't come in until four in the morning but damn I thought you said you never drank that much."

"Leave it alone, O." He muttered. "Why do you need to be at school so early anyway? You usually leave the house ten minutes before class starts."

"Principal Kane asked if I could be a guide for some new student coming in today. Clarke I think is his name."

"He asked or did you volunteer? I thought you and that Lincoln guy were still talking?" Bellamy wasn't sure about Lincoln but he knew Octavia would never listen to him so he kept his opinions to himself. As long as Octavia was happy.

"We are, I was just the first person Kane saw in the hallway. Plus he just likes me because I'm the opposite of you."

"I don't know why he hates me, I mean, all I did was start what fifteen fights in the cafeteria?" Bellamy chuckled.

"Yeah, I'm sure that's all you did." Octavia rolled her eyes. All her life she had heard stories about her big brother. Interrupting teachers, starting food fights, and causing kids to go to the nurses' office with nose bleeds.

Pulling up to the front of the school the first thing Bellamy noticed was a blonde girl he had never seen before sitting on one of the concrete benches. "Hey who's that?" He questioned.

"I don't know, but I'll see you later. Love you!" She smiled hopping out of the truck.

Clarke hated being the new girl. The stares, not knowing anyone, and then she thought back as to why they had to move in the first place. Her father's business folded causing plenty of fights at their household. Abby and Jake thought Clarke was asleep but she heard all the screaming, broken plates, and slammed doors. Night after night, it seemed like they were getting worse. Then they came up with this solution, move back to Jake's hometown. They would move in with her grandparents while they find a place to live and his old friend Thelonious Jaha needed a business partner. From what she heard they were starting a boxing gym. Since her father was once a champion boxer she hoped it would all work out for the best.

Hearing a truck pull up Clarke saw what she hoped was her guide. Her mother had told her the night before someone was to meet her before school started to show her around. A beautiful brunette girl hopped out of the truck saying goodbye to an equally handsome man in the driver's seat. Rising from her seat Clarke smiled as the girl walked towards her. "Are you Clarke Griffin?" She asked.

"That's me, let me guess you were expecting a guy?" Clarke chuckled, judging by the look on her face Clarke already knew the answer.

"Yeah, just a little bit, but whatever. Hi, I'm Octavia, I will be your helping hand in this new insane place we call the Ark."

"The Ark? That's what we call the school?"

"Yeah, I don't get it either, I just know that's what everyone's been calling it since it was built." She explained as they walked through the front doors.

"I think my dad may have mentioned that. He graduated from here back in the eighties."

"Really? That's cool, but if you don't mind me asking, why did you come back here after all this time?"

"Oh its no problem, there's not much to tell. My dad went off to college and he met my mom. When they graduated they moved to California. That didn't really work out so we came back here."

"Ok, well do you have your schedule?"

Nodding her heard Clarke pulled it out of her bag. "The secretary told my mom they wrote my locker number down on the bottom."

After handing the paper to Octavia she saw her smile. "Awesome, you'll be around Monty and Jasper. Don't worry, you'll like them. You have Lit and French with me and all your other classes have some of my friends in them too."

"Ok great, so where to now?" Clarke asked before Octavia led her down the hall to her locker.

The day started off great. Octavia was right Clarke hit it off right away with Monty and Jasper. Their senses of humor really made her feel better about her new life. In her History class she met even more people, Raven Reyes and John Murphy. Then at lunch time she sat in the middle of their table and got to know them a little better. So far she was liking her life at the Ark.

When the day ended she got a text from her mom saying she wouldn't be able to pick her up. Today was her first day working at the local hospital and being an emergency room nurse came with plenty of challenges. "Great, that's just great." She sighed stuffing her phone back in her pocket.

"Hey Clarke, how was your first day?" She heard Octavia ask as she walked up behind her.

"It was good, but now I don't know how I'm gonna get home."

"Oh don't worry about that, if you need a ride me and my brother can give you one. Here he is now."

Inside Clarke was a little excited. Earlier that morning she had gotten a glimpse of Octavia's brother but now she was going to be able to see him up close. As she walked towards the truck she couldn't help but notice how attractive he was. His dark curly hair and tan complexion, he reminded her of the surfer boys back in California. "Hey O, who is this?" He asked as Octavia opened the passenger side door.

"This is Clarke, and we are giving her a ride home." Octavia explained, climbing into the middle of the cab. "Clarke, this is my brother Bellamy."

"Well, Clarke is definitely not a guy." He smirked looking her up and down.

"Nice observation, can we go now?" Clarke scoffed, slamming the truck door closed.

"Whatever you say, Princess. So where are we going anyway?"

After giving him the directions to her grandparent's house the truck became quiet. It wasn't long before Octavia spoke up. "So didn't you say your dad was a boxer?"

"Yeah, ever since he was a teenager."

"Bellamy's a boxer! He's pretty good too."

"O, I'm pretty sure your friend doesn't want to hear about me beating some guy's ass."

"Well my dad is opening up a gym downtown. Maybe you could train there?" Clarke told the older boy.

"Thanks but no thanks, I'm already working with a trainer."

"Good ol' Joe," Octavia muttered, rolling her eyes.

"Octavia's not a big fan of Joe."

"I'm not a fan of anyone who pimps my brother out for fights just to win a buck. I mean, he doesn't give a shit about you, all he cares about is winning."

"Well I always win so there is _nothing_ to worry about."

"You sure aren't modest about this are you?" Clarke asked.

"Why would I be modest over something I'm good at? If you're curious, I could give you a whole list of things I'm good at."

"Ew Bell, shut up." Octavia groaned.

"Here we are," Clarke coughed as her grandparent's house came into view. "Thanks for the ride." She smiled opening the door.

"See you tomorrow!" Octavia grinned sliding into the passenger side.

Waving goodbye Clarke made her way into the house where her grandmother was waiting for her. "Hi dear, how was your first day?"

"It was good, surprisingly." She laughed. "Where's dad?"

"He went with Thelonious to see a possible location for the gym. They seemed pretty excited about it before they left."

"Oh that's cool, maybe it won't take too long to get it up and running."

"Hopefully, oh there's someone in the kitchen you'll be happy to see." Her grandmother told her as she walked into the laundry room.

Throwing her bag to the side Clarke headed into the kitchen. To her surprise her old friend Wells sitting at the dining room table. "Hey Clarke," He smiled.

Wells Jaha was Thelonious' only son. Whenever the Griffins came to town the Jaha's would have them over for dinner. In the short amount of time their visits were Clarke and Wells became close friends. They kept in touch while she was in California and once when the Jaha's visited during the summer Clarke took Wells to the beach for the first time in his life. "How have you been?" She asked giving him a hug.

"Great, I started college earlier this month but dad is sure I'm gonna be apart of this new business venture he and your dad are on."

"I'm sure all of us are gonna have to help out. I mean they're opening a boxing gym with no one to actually fight in it."

"They'll figure it out, our dads always do."

It was around six thirty when they all sat around the living room. Clarke's grandmother had fixed lasagna for dinner and waited for everyone to come home. Wells told Clarke about his school, he wanted to be a lawyer. "Well you did always like to be right."

"That's what my dad said." He laughed. "But it all worked out because my school is only an hour and a half away. I can visit on the weekends and help out whenever they need me."

"Yeah which I'm sure..." Clarke was interrupted by a knock at the door. "Who's that Grandad?"

The older man shook his head. Folding up his newspaper he put it to the side before walking to the front door. Opening it everyone was surprised to see two policemen standing in front of them. "Mr. Griffin?" One asked.

"Yes, is everything all right?"

The grave look on his face sent panic through Clarke. "I'm sorry sir, there's been an accident."

"John?" Clarke heard her grandmother whisper from her chair.

"What happened?"

"There's been a shooting. I'm so sorry, Mr. and Mrs. Griffin. Jake didn't make it."

Clarke didn't hear anything else. She was aware of her grandmother screaming, the police trying to explain the situation to her grandfather, and Wells trying to take her hand but Clarke couldn't take it. Jumping up she ran out the back door to the yard. Falling on her knees she thought back to the last time she saw her father. He was sitting in the kitchen with a cup of coffee reading the classifieds. "Today's gonna be a good day." He told her.

"I hope so, as much as I love Grandma and Grandad it would be nice to have my own room." She sighed.

"I know, sweetheart, not long now." He smiled. "You have a good first day, all right?"

"I will, I love you."

"I love you too." He kissed her head before leaving the room to take a shower.

This couldn't be true. It just couldn't. She wasn't positive when she started crying but once the tears started falling she wasn't sure if they would ever stop.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: With Darkness Comes Light

It was a dreary, cloudy day. Laying in bed Clarke stared out the window, raindrops were already starting to hit the glass. Focusing on two droplets of water she was surprised she had stopped crying. She wasn't sure what time it was, she didn't care. All she knew was today was the day they were burying her father.

Ever since she found out he had been killed Clarke had been in a daze. She had been vaguely aware of her family bustling around. From making the arrangements to trying their best to comfort one another. The house had been crowded every day. People were coming by to pay their respects, they brought food and whatever else they hoped could be useful.

Thelonious and Wells had been over every chance they could. One time Clarke saw her mom and Thelonious talking in a corner. Abby was crying while Thelonious tried his best to comfort her. They still didn't know the whole story of how her father was killed, only bits and pieces. From what she heard he and Thelonious were checking out a warehouse, it wasn't in the best part of town but they were going to be in and out. Jake had said he wanted to check out upstairs, see if they would be able to make locker rooms for the gym. He hadn't been gone five minutes when a shot rang out. Thelonious said he ran to him as fast as he could but it was too late. No one outside saw anyone run from the building, the police had no suspects or any leads. For all Clarke knew the person who killed Jake was never going to be found.

"Clarke? Honey, are you awake?" She heard her mom ask as she entered the room.

"Yeah," Clarke croaked, pulling her quilt up to her chin.

Abby frowned. "Its time to get up. I'll let you have the shower first."

Sitting up on her sofa bed Clarke nodded. "Ok, thanks mom."

"Its going to be a long day." Abby sighed walking away back to the bedroom she used to share with her husband.

"I just wish it was already over." Clarke muttered wrapping her arms around her legs.

Later on that morning Octavia was finishing up her hair when she saw her brother enter her bedroom. To her surprise he was dressed in his nicest button down and pants. "Why are you so dressed up?" She questioned.

"I figured you needed a ride to the funeral home," Bellamy mumbled.

Octavia sighed. For the past few days Bellamy hadn't been himself. He mostly stayed in his bedroom during the day, barely even saying two words to her or their mother. Whenever she tried to speak to him he would shut her out and then leave at night and come back early the next morning. "Ok, well I'll be ready in a few minutes. Just meet me in the living room."

Nodding once Bellamy left without a word. Smoothing out her dress Octavia found her boots in her closet and finished up her outfit. Grabbing her purse she hurried out of the room to find her brother. "Why are you even going to this? You've only known Clarke for almost a week." He scoffed.

"Don't be an ass, Bell. She lost her dad, she needs all the support she can get right now." She told him, tossing him his keys.

"No one supported us when our dad left."

"Yeah well, you don't really want to say 'sorry your piece of shit father left your family for a brand new one.' Its better to just keep your mouth shut."

"Whatever, come on lets go."

Since Jake was some sort of a hometown hero the parking lot was full as they pulled up to the funeral home. Everyone knew the Griffins, even if they didn't known them directly they knew the name. Jake's death was all the town had been talking about since it happened. Their first concern was who had done this? Who could have been capable of committing such a heinous crime? They all had their suspects. There had been a few sketchy residents that had moved into town the townspeople had been pointing their fingers at but so far there was no evidence to support their claims.

Parking his truck in a small patch of grass Bellamy sighed. He hadn't said a word since they left and Octavia couldn't take it anymore. "Bell, what's wrong with you? I know you can been in a pissy mood every now and then but you've been like this for almost a week."

"Don't worry about it, O." He mumbled turning the truck off.

"I'm your little sister, of course I'm going to worry."

"Just drop it." Bellamy snapped, opening the driver's side door and climbing out without another word.

Rolling her eyes Octavia followed. Inside the funeral home she spotted almost every store owner and upper class citizen in town. She wondered if this was a funeral or some sort of social gathering for the elite. Feeling out of place Octavia stood close to Bellamy as he talked to a few of the guys he graduated with. She sighed in relief when she saw Clarke make her way out of the viewing room. "Hey there's Clarke, I'll see you later." She whispered to her brother before walking away.

Seeing Octavia coming towards her calmed Clarke down. She wasn't sure how much longer she could stand being around people she barely knew as they tried to hug her and offer their condolences. Of course she appreciated their concern and she knew they meant well but it was too hard standing next to the casket she knew her father lay in. "Clarke, hey, how are you holding up?" Octavia asked giving her a warm hug.

"I'm holding in there," She sighed.

"I wish there was something I could say or do..."

"I know, Octavia," Clarke frowned. "I just appreciate you coming." She said, holding onto her arm. Looking behind her Clarke saw a familiar face. "What's Bellamy doing here?"

Octavia shrugged. "I don't know, surprised me too. Maybe my big brother has a heart after all."

Staring at the older boy Clarke couldn't help but feel drawn to him. Yes he was attractive but there was something else. Clarke had never felt like this towards any of her previous boyfriends and she didn't even know what she was feeling. She should feel nothing, she didn't even know the guy. From the one interaction she had with him she knew he was nothing like the guys she had been with. Crossing it off as nothing but a schoolgirl crush Clarke turned her back so she couldn't look at him anymore.

"Honey," Abby whispered placing her hand on Clarke's shoulder. "Its time to get started."

Nodding her head Clarke turned to Octavia. "I'll see you later."

Clarke was thankful at how the funeral service went. The preacher had been Jake's minister when he was young, he even married him and Abby when they were both twenty four years old. There were emotional speeches and tears shed by everyone in the chapel. She tried to focus her attention on whoever was speaking but it was hard for Clarke to take her eyes off the black casket sitting in front of her. They had been told the damage was too gruesome to show making them have a closed casket service. Some of her father's friends had told her it was for the best. "You need to remember your dad for the man he was, not the body laying in that coffin."

Snapping out of her gaze Clarke felt her mom tug at her sleeve telling her it was time to leave. Clutching onto Abby's hand Clarke stared at the casket as it was rolled outside to the waiting hearse. It still felt like a dream, she wasn't really here. She wasn't really going to say goodbye to her dad. As the door slammed shut Clarke felt herself wanting to cry until she fell into a deep sleep.

Later on that day Bellamy sat in his bedroom, still wearing the clothes he wore to the funeral, when Octavia barged in. "Hey, can you drive me downtown?" She asked.

"Why?"

"Clarke just texted me and asked if I would meet her at this address she sent me." Octavia explained.

Not wanting to put up a fight Bellamy agreed. "Let me change first." He mumbled pulling on the black tie that hung loosely from his neck.

"Fine but hurry. I don't want to keep her waiting."

As the door closed Bellamy walked over to his dresser to find a shirt to wear. Throwing a few to the side he found the small brown box he had stashed ever since he started fighting with Joe. Opening the box he saw the three thousand dollars in hundred dollar bills neatly rolled up. He used to have more but whenever they needed help with their bills Bellamy would pay and shrug off his mom when she asked where the money came from. Octavia knew he fought but their mom was still in the dark about his 'job.' Grabbing a grey T shirt Bellamy covered the box with his other clothes and finished changing.

Downtown Clarke was anxious to see what her friends would say about her plan. She knew it was a long shot, it was hard enough to stand in this building. An eery feeling of dread crept over her as she looked over the space her father spent his last moments. She avoided the second floor at all costs, knowing she wouldn't be able to handle it, but she knew what she had to do. "Clarke!" She heard someone call from the door.

She smiled seeing Wells, Octavia, Jasper, Monty, Raven and to her surprise Bellamy walking towards her. "Isn't this...?" Wells questioned, his eyes wide.

"Yeah...it is. This was the building my dad and Thelonious were looking at when my dad was shot." Clarke told everyone.

Octavia frowned. "Clarke...we shouldn't, you shouldn't be here."

"I know but hear me out. My dad wanted this place to be something. His dream was to open a gym and that was taken from him but that doesn't mean it can't still happen."

"What are you going to do Princess? Open it yourself?" Bellamy scoffed.

"If I have to." She countered. "Wells, your dad still likes the idea right?" When her friend nodded she continued. "If we clean this place up and helped him see what it could be then maybe it will convince him."

"I don't know Clarke, my dad is still shaken up." Wells sighed.

"Please, for my dad." Clarke begged, something she never did.

Ever since Wells met Clarke he was sure about one thing, she would never stop until she got what she wanted. She was the most determined person he had ever met. It was one of the qualities he admired most about her. "Ok, I'm in but we're going to need more than to clean it up. I mean for a gym we're going to need people actually interested in coming here."

"You're not gonna have to worry about that." Bellamy said. "I'll be your first and best boxer here. If I'm here I'm sure others will follow."

"For once I actually appreciate your cockiness." Clarke smiled. "So what do you guys think? Will you help me?"

Jasper and Monty glanced each other, small smiles on their faces. "We're in, if you let us be the announcers at the fights."

"Deal, Octavia? Raven?"

Octavia grinned. "Of course."

"With you looking at me like a sad puppy how could I say no?" Raven chuckled.

"Thank you, all of you, now come here and let me tell you what I'm thinking." Clarke instructed guiding them around the big room.

While everyone was distracted Bellamy slipped outside. There was one thing he knew he had to do first. Pulling out his phone he called Joe. When he didn't answer Bellamy left him a message. "Joe, its me. Look you told me I had to do one favor for you and I did. So I'm done. Consider me out, you can find someone else to take my place. Never call me again."

Hanging up he let out a huge sigh of relief. It was over, well he hoped it was over.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Talk it Out

After their meeting in the warehouse Raven volunteered her garage for the group to start their planning. Since her parent's divorce and her dad moved out her mother had given Raven the garage as a sanctuary from her younger siblings. There she was able to do whatever she pleased, fix up her car, tinker with electronics, and blast music without a care in the world. "Make yourselves at home," Raven smiled as the door opened.

Inside was two couches and a few matching arm chairs, a little beat up but still in good shape, a high tech stereo, and a mini fridge. "Raven, this place is awesome." Jasper gawked.

"I guess divorce has its advantages." She scoffed. "Just stay away from that table." She instructed gesturing to the work bench lining the left wall.

"What are you working on?" Clarke asked.

"Don't worry about it, so show us your ideas." Raven told Clarke sitting on one of the seats.

Pulling a few papers out of her bag Clarke sat down on the couch, placing the plans on the makeshift table in front of her. "So the ring will be here," She said but Bellamy interrupted her.

"Nah, it should be over here," He pointed to where he thought would be better. "That way there will be enough room for chairs and a VIP area."

"Bell, this isn't a professional UFC sort of thing, its just going to be for the locals," Octavia chuckled grabbing a soda from the mini fridge.

"I'm not fighting in a shithole, O. If I'm coming here its gotta be right. Plus when the fights get popular the high and mighty will be sure to show up. Trust me."

His cocky smirk made Clarke roll her eyes. "Fine, whatever. The ring will be here. Now I was thinking we can convert the upstairs to be private training facilities and some sort of office space."

"From what my dad said the upstairs is a dump." Wells explained. "We'll have to do some major cleanup before anyone will even set foot up there."

"Then that's what we'll do. Friday after school, is that all right with everyone?" Clarke questioned receiving nods in agreement. "Great, now lets figure out what else we'll need." She said pulling out a notepad to write down everyone's suggestions.

"Locker rooms, or somewhere everyone can change." Monty pointed out. Nodding her head Clarke wrote it down.

"Punching bags, weights, and all sorts of equipment." Bellamy sighed, his eyes watched as she scribbled his words on the paper.

"This is going to cost so much money," Clarke groaned raking her fingers through her blonde hair.

"You had to know it was going to take a lot, right, Princess?"

"Of course I knew," She snapped. "I just need some time to figure it all out."

Feeling sorry for her Bellamy decided to take charge. Snatching the notepad out of her hand he tore the piece of paper out of it. "Hey!"

"What? You're clearly over your head here. For right now all of you handle the cleaning and maintenance, leave the actual boxing part to me. Its not like any of you have ever stepped foot in a ring before so how the hell would you know what all we needed?"

"Fine, you do that, the rest of us will do everything else." Clarke frowned.

"Great, come on, Octavia, we need to head home."

"We do too." Monty said grabbing Jasper's arm. "We'll see you at school, Clarke."

Clarke sent them a small smile as they left the garage. Then it was only her, Wells, and Raven sitting on the couch. "Do you guys really think we can do this?" Raven asked breaking the silence.

Sighing Clarke stood up. "I don't know, but I owe it to my dad to at least try."

"Have you talked to your mom about it?" Wells questioned his friend, a part of him already knew the answer but he still needed to hear it.

Crossing her arms Clarke whispered. "No, she thinks I went to the library tonight. She doesn't want me anywhere near the warehouse."

"And how are you going to tell her? You can't keep something like this a secret." Raven interjected.

"I know, I know, I just need to find the right time. First I wanted to talk to your dad, Wells."

"My dad? Why?"

"Because he'll be more understanding than my mom. Think about it, he wanted this as much as my dad. Maybe we can convince him to still buy the building and then we can prove it to him that it can be functional."

"That's asking a lot, Clarke."

"I know it is but all he has to do is be the buyer, we can handle the rest. If Bellamy handles the equipment then your dad doesn't have to. We clean it up so your dad doesn't even have to set foot in there until he's ready."

After hearing what she had to say Wells could see where she was coming from. The day his dad and Jake went to look at the warehouse his dad was clearly excited about the location. "Its perfect, there will be enough parking for fights and its big enough for everything we could possibly need." Thelonious told his son as he fixed his morning cup of coffee.

"That's great, dad." He smiled, it made him happy to see his father actually excited about the possible gym.

"So what do you think, Wells?" Clarke asked snapping him out of his thoughts.

"I think you have good points, its just going to take a lot to convince him."

"Then lets go, the sooner the better."

"Ok but on one condition," He said standing up from his seat.

"What?"

"You have to talk to your mom. The sooner she knows the better."

Clarke cringed. "I was afraid you would say that."

"He's right, Clarke," Raven spoke up, this whole time she had been sitting back listening to them. "Plus this is a small town, word will travel fast. Its better if she hears it from you rather than a stranger."

"You're right, as much as I hate it." Clarke sighed. "Ok, I'll talk to her after we talk to your dad. If we can get him to agree maybe he can be a buffer just in case she doesn't agree right away."

"All right, lets go, he should be home by now." Wells smiled.

After getting home from Raven's house Bellamy went straight to his room to make a few calls. In his nightstand he found his old contact sheet. Dialing one of the numbers he heard a loud. "Bellamy! Its been a while since I heard from you!" 'Of course he's high,' Bellamy thought.

"Hey Miller, I'm calling in a favor."

"What do you need?" Miller asking trying his best to sober up.

"Does your dad still work for Ringside?"

"Yeah, he's actually a manager now. Why?"

"I need some stuff and I need it at a decent price. Think you can help me?"

"For Bellamy Blake? Absolutely!"

"Thanks man, I'll come see you tomorrow." Bellamy said before hanging up. Tossing the book back in his nightstand he laid back on his bed only to be surprised by his phone. When he saw the name pop up he cursed under his breath. "What?"

"What kind of fucking nerve you got calling me like that?!" Joe yelled.

"You told me when I started I could get out anytime I wanted." Bellamy snapped. "I'm done, you can find some other dumbass to take my place."

"You don't get it do you, Blake? You've been doing this too long, you don't get to just walk away whenever you feel like it."

"Yes I do, there's other fighters out there, Joe, I'm sure one of them would love to make a quick buck for you."

"So that's how it is, huh? Well Blake, consider our partnership over, but just know I can't protect you anymore."

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?"

"You'll find out soon enough." Joe chuckled before hanging up.

For a while Bellamy just stared at his phone, still trying to process what Joe had just told him. He knew Joe had bosses that he had to report to, but he didn't know the whole story. All he wanted to do was fight. He figured the less he knew the better. 'What the fuck did I just do?' He thought running his hands through his thick, curly hair. "He's probably just trying to scare you. Just forget about it." He mumbled turning his light out and falling into a frightful sleep.

Turns out convincing Thelonious the gym was a good idea was easier than Clarke and Wells had anticipated. He was apprehensive at first which they expected. "Clarke, I know you think your dad would want this..."

"He would," Clarke breathed. "Thelonious, you knew my dad. You know when he wanted something he would do anything to get it. He wanted this gym. I can't tell you how many times I heard him say, 'When I have my own gym.'"

She almost let out a sigh of relief when she saw a small smile on his face. "You're right about that. It was all he could talk about when we found out your family was moving back here."

"Then we have to do it. For him."

Wells sat back, watching intently as his dad stared at the young girl in front of him. He could tell when his dad was deep in thought and he could almost see the gears turning in his head. Finally, after a few tense minutes, Thelonious raised his hands in defeat. "All right, I'll go talk to the bank tomorrow."

Grinning from ear to ear Clarke reached over to hug him. "Thank you!" She exclaimed. "I promise you won't regret this."

"What does your mom say about this?"

Taking a few steps back Clarke awkwardly shuffled on one foot to the other. "She's next on the list of people I have to talk to."

Nodding his head Thelonious sighed. "Your mom is an understanding woman, Clarke. Just tell her what you told me."

"I will, thank you so much." Grabbing her bag she stopped when she heard Wells call her name.

"You want me to give you a ride home?" He asked.

"No, I think I'll walk."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, its not that far, plus it'll give me some time to come up with exactly I'm going to tell my mom. I'll see you later." She smiled before opening the door.

After walking three blocks Clarke still didn't know how she was going to explain her idea to her mother. Even if she gave Abby the same speech she gave Thelonious she knew it wasn't enough. Ever since the shooting happened Clarke heard whispers from her mom to her grandparents about moving back to California. She thought it was too dangerous to stay but Clarke didn't want to leave yet. There was too much here to just throw it away.

Clarke must have been thinking too much. Hearing the sound of a car approaching her caused her to jumps as the car pulled up beside her. It was a black Cadillac and she could barely see the driver through the dark windows. Quickening her stride Clarke never looked in his direction as he rolled down the passenger window. "Hello sweetheart, what's a pretty girl like you walking the streets late at night?" The man asked.

"Just heading home." She told him, holding her phone close to her ready to dial 911 at any moment.

"You're Jake Griffin's daughter aren't you?"

Hearing his question made Clarke freeze. "How did you know that?"

"Its the talk of the town, sweetheart, I'm sorry to hear about his passing."

Narrowing her eyes at the man she snapped. "He didn't just pass away, he was murdered. Now leave me alone."

Her anger only grew as she saw the man chuckle. "Better be careful around here, sweetheart." He smirked speeding off down the street.

Clarke was still fuming as she unlocked the front door to her grandparents' house. Who the hell was that man and how did she know who she was? Throwing her bag and keys down at the door she was surprised to see her mom sitting in the living room. "Oh, hey mom," She whispered knowing her grandparents were already in bed.

"Hi sweetie, how was the library?"

"I actually need to talk to you about that," Clarke sighed sitting down on the couch next to her mother. "I didn't go to the library. I met up with some friends at the warehouse."

"What warehouse?" Abby asked but she feared what her daughter would say what she was thinking.

"The warehouse dad was in."

"Clarke why would you go there? Its dangerous."

"Mom, I want to open dad's gym." Clarke blurted. "It was his dream and I want to do it for him."

"Honey, its impossible. You're just a kid, how can you handle that much responsibility."

"I have a lot of help. My friends and Octavia's brother is a boxer so he knows what we'll need and Thelonious said he was going to help..."

"You went behind my back and talked to your father's best friend about this?"

"Mom..."

"No Clarke, listen, I know you think this is the right thing, that your dad would want you to do this..."

"He would!" Clarke exclaimed forgetting her grandparents were asleep just down the hall. "You know he would want this! You heard him talk about it every single day."

"I know, and I never told him I didn't want him to do this. It was going to completely wipe out our savings and who knows if it even work out? This is such a small town..."

"Dad always told me you had to take risks in life."

"And look what happened! Your father is dead!"

"Well I can't let his dream die with him." Clarke snapped. "I'm doing this whether you like it or not."

"Then I give you the opportunity to fail." Abby whispered rising from her seat and leaving the room.

It wasn't what she wanted. The conversation didn't go how she expected and not having her mother's support backing her up was heartbreaking. Burying her face in her hands Clarke felt tears fall from her eyes and in the silence of the house she sobbed.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Moving Forward

The next morning after their fight Clarke was still upset. Not only did Abby not support the gym opening at all but ever since their talk Abby was trying her best to completely stay out of the house. She decided to take extra shifts at the hospital to 'earn a little extra money, Lord knows we're going to need it.' were her exact words. Clarke's grandparents just thought it was to pay for when they moved out, Clarke hadn't let them in on her idea just yet.

To avoid their questions Clarke headed outside to the front porch swing to start her homework. She tried her best to concentrate on the Renaissance era but all she could think about was all the work that had to be done to the gym. Bellamy was taking care of the equipment so that was one less thing she had to worry about but with one task done ten more piled up. If they were going to have lockers they were going to have to either find someone to build them or order them online and both of them were going to cost a lot of money. "Clarke!"

Almost dropping her books her head popped up to see Wells climbing out of his Jeep towards her. "Wells, hey, what's up?" She asked closing her books.

"I just talked to my dad, he went to the bank and they approved the loan. He's getting the deed to the warehouse as we speak."

"That's awesome!" She grinned hopping up to hug her friend.

"Yeah, just in time for us to start the cleanup tomorrow."

"Well that's one less thing we have to worry about." She sighed sitting back down on the swing, scooting over to give Wells some room. "But I meant it when I said I don't want your dad to worry about this. I want us to be able to handle it."

"I know you do Clarke, but lets be serious. We can pick up some trash and paint but how are we going to do this?"

"I don't know, I'm trying to figure all this out as we go along."

After an hour of driving Bellamy finally found his destination. This store used to be his second home, its where he met a new friend. "Miller, what's up man?" He smiled when he saw his friend waiting for him at the entrance.

"Nothing much, just waiting for the prodigal son to return to his second home." Miller laughed, "So why do you need so much stuff? I thought you trained with Joe and his people."

"I used to, I found a new place. It hasn't opened yet that's why I need this equipment. Is your dad around?"

"He's inside. I told him you were coming."

Nodding in thanks Bellamy headed inside. It was like he never left. The weight benches were in the exact same spots, the punching bags still hung where he saw them last. Miller's old man didn't like change. Bellamy recalled how much he hated it when Bellamy told him he was going to fight with someone else. Philip Miller didn't trust Joe, not many people did but Bellamy was young and dumb and only saw dollar signs. Not a day went by did he regret leaving, he just hoped Phil saw it.

"Bellamy Blake, never thought I'd see your ass here again." Philip sighed crossing his arms.

Bellamy shook his head. "Hey Phil, sorry I haven't been around."

"We all know why you haven't, Bell, no need to feed me any bullshit. So why are you here?"

"I need a favor. A girl I know is trying to open a gym but she has no idea what she's doing. I figured I would help her out."

"Huh, never thought I would see the day when you thought of anyone but yourself."

Bellamy cringed. "I deserve that, I'm sorry Phil. If I could take it back I would."

"I know you would, doesn't mean I won't bust your balls. Now come on, tell me what all you need." Philip chuckled directing Bellamy into his office.

The next day at school Clarke was hiding out in the library during lunchtime when Raven found her. "What are you doing in here?" She asked.

"Reading, I'm researching anything and everything that can help us with the gym. So far? I found a website that tells us how to make wooden lockers."

"Great, at least we'll have _something _in the locker rooms."

"Yeah but do we know anyone that can make them for cheap?"

"I think I do, do you know Harper Allen?"

"The quiet girl in our Spanish class?"

"Yeah, her older brother was amazing at wood shop when he went to school here. He graduated a few years ago and now he has his own workshop at their house. He designs cabinets and stuff like that."

"Will she help us?"

"I don't know, but it doesn't hurt to ask." She told the girl as the bell started to ring. "Come on, we'll talk to her during next period."

Clarke had only heard Harper talk when she was called on during class. She always got the answers right but she was so shy her voice could barely be heard. When Clarke and Raven approached her she acted like she couldn't believe someone wanted to speak with her. "H-hi." She stammered.

"Hey Harper, look I know I haven't talked to you before, and I know you don't even know me but I could really use a favor." Clarke sighed sitting in the seat in front of her.

"Sure, what?"

"I hear your brother can design anything out of wood. Do you think he could make some lockers for a locker room?"

"I can ask him. Why do you need them though?"

"I'm trying to get my father's gym up and running. One thing we need is a locker room but none of us know how to make them. I don't want to inconvenience you or your brother."

"You won't, business has been kind of slow." Harper frowned. "I can get you a deal but do you think you can do something for me?"

"Yeah, sure, anything." Clarke grinned.

From where she was sitting Clarke saw Harper's focus change from her to a boy walk into the classroom. "Jasper?" Raven whispered.

"Do you think you can introduce me to him?" Harper smiled, a faint blush on her cheeks.

"Of course! Thank you so much, Harper." Clarke wanted to hug the girl but before she could their teacher began going over the lesson for the day.

After school Clarke rode with Jasper and Monty to the warehouse so they could begin the cleanup. "Does it seem like there's even more mess than the last time we were here?" Octavia questioned as she pulled on a pair of gloves.

"Well most of the windows are busted out, people probably come in and trash the place at night." Wells explained.

"Great that's another thing we have to worry about," Clarke sighed. "All right, lets get to work. We'll worry about the downstairs today."

After everyone knew their assignments they went to work. Monty swept while Jasper picked up bigger pieces of debris. Wells and Raven had made a game out of throwing trash into one of the bins to help pass the time. It also made everyone laugh and actually have a fun while cleaning. "Now up to make a half court shot, Raven Reyes!" Jasper announced.

Faking a yawn Raven made the shot without any problem making the girls cheer and Wells roll his eyes. "All right, all right, that was impressive. My turn."

Stepping through the door Bellamy noticed everyone laughing and cheering but to him it seemed like they had forgotten about the clean up. "Oh hey Bell." Octavia smiled.

"Hey, I see cleaning is going well." He smirked. "Where's Clarke, I have something to tell her."

"She's..." Octavia started turning around to look for her blonde friend but she wasn't with the rest of the group. "She was just over there."

Glancing upstairs Bellamy frowned. "I'll be right back."

An overwhelming sense of dread filled Bellamy as he climbed the stairs. Pushing any negative thoughts away he reached the second floor and stopped. Softly he heard sobs coming from down the hall. Taking a deep breath he walked towards the sounds. As he got closer he saw police caution tape laying on the floor, crumpled and forgotten. The police had concluded their investigation in the warehouse and moved on to search any leads that came through the tip hotline they had set up.

Peaking around the wall he saw Clarke standing in the middle of the room, her head bowed and her shoulders shaking. Cringing Bellamy stepped up behind her. "Princess?" He whispered.

Clarke's sobs stopped. Spinning around she wiped her eyes and cleared her throat. "B-Bellamy, what are you doing here?"

Glancing at the floor Bellamy noticed the dark stain at her feet. "You shouldn't be up here, Clarke."

Breathing in Clarke shook her head. "I just wanted to...I don't know."

"Come on, the troops down there are useless without your direction." He urged, placing a hand on her shoulder.

Letting her lead the way Bellamy bit his tongue, preventing him from saying something he'll regret. "Did you want to tell me something? Is that why you came up here?" Clarke asked him as he walked beside her.

"Uh I just wanted to tell you I got your equipment ready whenever we get this place set up."

"Oh, wow, how did you manage that?"

"I know a guy." He shrugged.

Ever since starting this process Clarke felt good about what they were doing. At first she doubted Bellamy, she didn't know him but him coming through for her made her start to trust him.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Common Ground

Clarke couldn't believe it. The warehouse, the same place that started out as a dump, an otherwise empty building full of trash was finally starting to look like a gym. Bellamy had really come through with the equipment. Speed bags, punching bags, and weights now all had their own individual place. They still had to clear enough space for a ring but it wouldn't take long Bellamy urged. And after a proper introduction to Jasper, Harper had convinced her brother to design them custom lockers for the locker rooms. Jasper didn't even mind being used as a bargaining chip to get them. Turns out he and Harper really hit it off and began dating. She even came by to help with the final touches of the gym. "Clarke, this looks awesome," Octavia grinned. "It doesn't even look like the same place!"

"I know, its unbelievable." Clarke whispered. "I can't thank your brother enough."

"Well you've thanked him ten times a day, I think that's enough." Octavia laughed. "And I can't thank you enough."

"For what?"

"Its hard to explain but ever since Bellamy started helping out here he's like my brother again. He became a real asshole, well a bigger asshole, before we started this project. He's actually laughing and joking around again."

"Well I doubt that has anything to do with me. It probably has something to do with the fact that he'll be beating someone's ass here soon when we get this place up and running."

"Maybe, anyway he's still serious about being a trainer you know?"

"I know and I would love for him to do that but I wouldn't be able to pay him. It wouldn't be fair."

"Then don't pay me," A deep voice came from behind them.

Turning around Clarke stared at him in shock. "You can't be serious." She snapped. "That would be impossible and after everything you've done for this place I couldn't ask you to do that."

Sensing the growing tension Octavia murmured something about helping Raven before slinking off in the opposite direction. Watching her walk away Clarke focused her attention on Bellamy. Over the past few weeks they had butted heads on multiple decisions. Clarke hated it that he felt entitled to designing the gym just because he got the equipment and Bellamy couldn't stand how stubborn she was on certain things. "Look Princess, none of you have boxing experience. I mean, maybe Lincoln could pass as a fighter but Jasper and Monty look like a pair of twigs. No one would pay to come here if they think they can't get proper training."

He was right of course but Clarke would rather walk through hell with gasoline soaked shorts than admit it. "That still doesn't mean I can hire you as a trainer and not actually pay you."

"Then find other ways of paying me."

Clarke's eyes widened. "No way."

"Not like that Princess," Bellamy cringed. "I meant, let me work out for free, after hours I don't care. As long as I can train then consider that my payment."

After thinking it over Clarke couldn't help but think it would be the right decision for the gym. Bellamy would be the best trainer and with him around more up and coming boxers would start signing up. "Fine, we have a deal." She sighed holding out her hand.

Taking it in his he gave her a stern shake. She couldn't help but notice the cocky smirk on his face. "We have a deal. Tonight will be my first work out in weeks."

Rolling her eyes she brushed past him. "I'm sorry I kept you from it but I hope you know I have to stick around to lock up when you leave."

"Or you can just give me the keys."

"Not happening. I don't even trust Wells with the keys." It was the truth, this gym was her pride and joy. Maybe she was being paranoid but she didn't want anyone having a key unless she absolutely had to give them one.

"All right, just don't drool over me, ok?"

"Don't flatter yourself." She scoffed.

It was way past closing time when Bellamy started his work out. Behind the front desk Clarke tried her best to study over the sounds of him hitting the punching bag repeatedly. A few times she found herself looking up from her book to stare at his muscles as he threw punches. The tape on his wrists looked torn and battered but his hits never lost power. Bellamy had failed to let her know he worked out shirtless. She didn't consider herself someone who lusted after boy's muscles but seeing the way Bellamy's back looked just may have changed her mind.

Snapping out of her trance Clarke tried to focus on her Literature homework. Ever since they started fixing up the gym her focus had completely shifted. As a result her grades had suffered. Abby didn't know it yet but Clarke was dreading showing her report card to her mom. Usually she was a straight A student, it was something she took pride in but at the moment all she cared about was getting the gym up and running. If Abby heard her say that thought she was sure her mom would ban her from even stepping foot in the building until she brought her grades up.

"All right, Princess, I'm done." She heard making her jump slightly.

"Oh ok, well lets get out of here." Clarke mumbled.

Narrowing his eyes at her notes Bellamy noticed what she was working on. "You need any help?"

Shaking her head she stammered. "No, no its fine, you probably want to go home and I got it."

"Clarke," Hearing him actually say her name made her stop in her tracks. "You're wound tighter than a top and I can see this is stressing you out." He told her holding her notes in his hand. "Come on, let me help." He urged pulling up a chair beside her.

Half an hour later Clarke felt like she was actually prepared for her test the next day. "How do you know so much about this? I never took you for a big reader."

Bellamy shrugged. "My mom worked a lot and I was always at home babysitting a hyper Octavia. The only way to calm her down was to read her stories. I eventually got bored of _Cinderella _and _The Three Bears_ so I went to the library and found something else."

"Well thank you, you always seem to save me somehow."

"Its no big deal. Come on, you have a ride home?"

"No, I was just going to take the late bus."

Throwing his shirt over his shoulder Bellamy shook his head. "No you're not, pack up, I'll give you a ride."

"You don't have..."

"I want to, the bus is no place for you Princess. The freaks come out at night and trust me you don't want to be around that."

"Well I'm riding with you aren't I?"

"Very funny but if you don't hurry up I'm leaving your ass here."

Smiling to herself Clarke packed up her bag and followed him outside into the cool autumn air. Following Bellamy she spotted the familiar pick up truck parked across the street. Memories of the first time she saw him came rushing back to her as she climbed into the passenger seat. "Are you hungry or anything? We can stop somewhere if you want." He suggested, fastening his seatbelt.

It was unexpected but Clarke was grateful. She knew her mom was home and she figured the best way to deal with her mom was to just avoid her. "Uh yeah, that sounds kind of nice actually."

"All right, my treat." He mumbled.

During the ride through town they fell into a comfortable silence. Even though she knew how much they butted heads sometimes Bellamy was the best person to be around. When they weren't arguing she actually liked hanging out with him.

Pulling into a fifties style diner Clarke smiled thinking about her dad bringing her to a diner just like this one back in their hometown. They started the tradition of going for milkshakes on birthdays when she turned seven years old. He always urged her to try new flavors each year even though he knew how much she loved strawberry and chocolate.

Noticing how she quiet she became Bellamy grew worried. When she refused to look him in the eye he lightly placed his hand on her shoulder. "You ok, Princess?"

Looking up Clarke blinked several times to try to keep tears from falling. "Y-yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking about my dad." She whispered.

Cringing Bellamy sat back and let her continue. "Every birthday, whether it be mine, or his, or my mom's we would always go to a place just like this and have milkshakes by the beach." She explained. "Last time we went it was my mom's birthday but she had to work...so it was just me and my dad. That was a few weeks we moved here actually."

"At least you had that time with him." Bellamy mumbled, his eyes focused on the steering wheel.

"Yeah I guess I should be grateful."

When neither of them spoke Bellamy finally looked over at her. She wasn't crying, which he took as a good sign, but he reached for the keys anyway. "Look we can go somewhere else, this place was just the closest to the gym..."

"No, Bellamy, its fine. It'll be nice actually. I've been wanting a milkshake anyway."

Sighing he finally agreed and followed her inside. As they walked side by side Clarke tried to push away any negative thoughts and just focus on Bellamy. To her surprise he held the door open for her and said. "By the way, this is all on me."

"You don't have to do that." She urged, the more and more she fought it she couldn't help but feel like this was an unintentional date.

"My treat."

"This seems to be a reoccurring thing since we've known each other." She chuckled. "Ok I'll pay for the milkshakes and you buy the food."

"Deal."

Two orders of burgers and fries later they sat on the hood of his truck talking about their plans for the gym. "At this rate we should be ready to open in less than a month." Clarke told him, taking a bite of her cheeseburger.

"We'll need a big opening night. Miller said whenever we're ready for the ring just to let him know."

"Great but right now you're the only fighter. We can't really have a 'big opening night' with you fighting yourself."

"Hey you don't know that. Everyone might come just to see me in the ring." He smirked but his cockiness didn't make her roll her eyes like it usually did. Instead she just laughed and shook her head.

"I'll let you believe that but no one would pay good money to watch that. Somehow we're gonna have to get the word out to potential fighters."

Biting into his burger Bellamy thought back to his fights. Whenever he checked out his competition he would see guys who could have the skills to be a great boxer but no one would take the time out to train them. Or they didn't have the money to afford a professional trainer. "I might know where we could find some. If you're interested."

"Of course, where?"

"On Fridays there's usually a fight night, I would just have to find out where. They're usually about an hour or two away so we would have to take a road trip but it would be worth it. Guys always go to these things hoping to get discovered."

"Ok, so we go and find some talent and try to convince them to join our gym?"

"Pretty much."

"All right, I'm in. Just let me know ahead of time."

"Deal."

After crumpling up her trash she sighed. "So I think you owe me a milkshake."

Laughing to himself Bellamy nodded. "I guess I do. So what kind, Princess?"

**I know, I'm horrible but honestly I have been lazy and writing just hasn't come to me. I'm so sorry but I appreciate everyone who favorites, follows, or reviews my story. Thank you 3**


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